Total pages in book: 45
Estimated words: 42332 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 212(@200wpm)___ 169(@250wpm)___ 141(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 42332 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 212(@200wpm)___ 169(@250wpm)___ 141(@300wpm)
Nobody was infallible, though, and he almost got my SEAL team lit up in a bad deal. But he was a slippery bastard. Fucking disappeared before we could close the file.
Seeing his name now felt like unfinished business clawing its way back from the dead.
And the chatter about the pipeline probing our area suddenly made sense. Dunbar wanted to use the Hounds of Hellfire as cover for his shit. He figured our reputation would keep people from looking within our territory. Hiding in plain fucking sight.
Now, Maren was a potential threat to his business.
I shoved my phone back in my pocket and breathed through the fire building in my chest.
Dunbar was planning to touch what was mine. He’d sent a man to map her rhythms. Gauge her value. Prep a fucking grab.
That guy tonight was Dunbar’s confirmation. This wasn’t surveillance anymore—it was a quiet check-in before they made their move. They were about to take the next step.
Not happening. Ever.
I leaned forward, bracing my forearms on the table, and locked my gaze on Maren as she moved between tables. Her ponytail swayed, and her apron strings brushed the back of her thighs with every step. My cock throbbed again, but this time, it wasn’t just desire. It was the possessive, territorial burn of a man pushed to the edge.
My eyes stayed still glued to Maren as she worked—smiling, soft, and completely oblivious that she was fucking marked. Not just as Dunbar’s target…she was also branded by me.
She didn’t know she was mine yet.
But she would.
I couldn’t wait any longer. It was time to act.
Linking Dunbar and the pipeline to Maren made her situation club business, which meant it was time to loop in King.
I texted Wizard again.
Me
This isn’t recon anymore.
Wizard
It’s club business now.
Me
No shit.
Wizard
When are you gonna tell the prez?
I glanced at my watch. It was almost two in the morning. As long as Maren was safe, it could wait a few more hours.
Me
After I get Maren settled at the clubhouse. No reason to wake anyone right now.
Wizard
Put a sock on the door.
Me
Fuck you.
Wizard
I have an old lady for that, brother.
I pocketed my phone without responding and glanced back toward the counter just as Maren bent over to grab something under the register. Her shirt rode up enough to flash a hint of bare skin. I clenched my fists at my sides, the mix of lust and fury simmering hotter than ever.
I stood slowly, feeling the burn in my spine as my pulse thundered in my ears.
Maren didn’t know it yet, but her world was about to change.
She belonged to me now.
And anyone who tried to take her was already fucking dead.
5
MAREN
When my shift finally ended, I clocked out with a soft yawn. As I grabbed my purse from my locker, all I could think about was getting home, kicking off my shoes, and collapsing into bed.
I slung the strap over my shoulder and headed toward the front door, already fishing in my bag for my car keys. I pushed open the swinging door that led into the dining room, and my breath caught as soon as I looked up and saw Kevlar standing by the entrance.
He’d always left shortly before the end of my shift. So even though he’d told that guy he was going to see me home, I figured that was just to get him to back off, and he’d be gone when I came back out. Discovering I was wrong was enough to perk me back up again.
I stopped a few steps short of him, butterflies swarming in my belly. “You stayed.”
He nodded and held out his hand. “Come with me.”
It didn’t sound like a question, but I answered anyway. “O-okay.”
My feet moved toward him on instinct, something inside me responding to that quiet command without hesitation. His fingers wrapped around my wrist, and he tugged me toward the door.
When we stepped outside, I fumbled my keys in my other hand. “What about my car?”
“Give those to me, baby,” He tugged the keys from my fingers. “I’ll make sure it’s taken care of.”
I didn’t even think about arguing, just trusted him to do exactly as he said and let him guide me down the sidewalk with his hand still wrapped around my wrist. He walked closer to the street, like he was deliberately positioning himself between me and everything else.
We stopped beside a black motorcycle, and I froze. “Oh. Um. I’ve never been on one of these.”
I didn’t understand why heat flared in his eyes as he reached for the helmet hanging from the handlebars. “Let’s get this on you.”
His fingers brushed my jaw as he buckled the strap, and my breath hitched.
“There,” he murmured.
He tucked my purse in the saddlebag, then swung a leg over the motorcycle. When he was settled onto the seat, he held out a hand. “Climb on behind me.”